Mechanical toy



Oct. 14. 1924.

M. H. SNYDER ET AL MECHANICAL TOY Filed Sent. 1l, 1922 5 Smets-sheet 1 Oct. 14 1924. 1,511,239

M. H. SNYDER EIT AL MECHANICAL Toy Filed sem. 11 1922 5 sheets-sheet' M. H. SNYDER E'T AL MECHANICAL TOY omB 14. 1924.v 1,511,239

Filed Sent. 11 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Oct. 14. |924. 1,511,239

' M. H. SNYDER ET AL MECHANICAL TOY Filed sem. 11, '1922 5 sheets-sheet 5 INVIA/Tam M. QM/cev Snyder Cil Patented @et 14, 1924.

UNITED STATES FFICE.

MAHLON HORACE SNYDER AND FULTON H. SRL-1TH, 0F PHLADELP-IIA, PENNSYL- VANIA.

MECHANICAL TOY.

AppIcation filed September 11, 1922.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that we, MAHLON Hormon SNYDEP. and FULTON H. SixrrrH, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia., in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful improvements in a Mechanical Toy, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a new and amusing mechanical toy, and has for its object to provide a device of this character that will be actuated by weights in the form of balls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanical toy wherein different de vices are successively actuated 'by weights, said weights being successively discl'iarged from a hopper located at the highest elevation of the toy.

A further object of the invention is to provide a framework having tracks with cars running thereon and actuated by weights discharged from one car to another, said weights being sufficient to carry the cars down their respective tracks and when discharged therefrom permit the cars to be returned to their normal positions through the medium of suspended or captive weights.

A. still further object of our invention is to provide means for unlatching the doors of the different cars when properlypositioned for the discharge of a ball weight therefrom.

Other objects of our invention are to pro-V vide means for positively closing the door of one of thecars and toprovide means to prevent the accidental dislodgement or derailment of one of said cars.

With these ends in View, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

ln order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, may understand how to make and use the same, we will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which Fig. 1, is a side elevation of the mecharical toy embodied in our invention.

Serial No. 587,299.

Fig. 2, is an end view thereof.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the toy.

Fig. 4c, is a further enlarged bottom plan view of one of the cars.

Fig. 5, is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. .6, is an enlarged end view of the suspension car.

Fig. 7, is an enlarged fragmentary plan View of the elevator.

F ig. 8, is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 9, is an enlarged fragmentary sectional side elevation of the upper portion of the framework.

Fig. 10, is a section at the line 10-10 of Fie. 9.

Fig. l1, is a view similar to Fig. 9 of the lower portion of the framework.

Fig. 12, is a fragmentary plan view of lthe connection betweeny the upper end of one of the rails of the track and the frame` work.

FiO. 13, is a similar view at the lower end of one of the rails of the track.

Fig. 14, is an enlarged fragmentary tional side elevation of the upper portion of the toy in the region of the hopper.

Fig. 15, is an end View thereof.

Fig. 16, is a plan view of one of the sus* pended or captive weights.

Fig. 17, is a side elevation thereof.

In carrying out our invention as here embodied, 2 represents a skeleton like framework comprising a tall tower 3. a short tower 4, an inclined two rail track 5 adjacent the lower end of the framework and a monorail 6 at the upper end of the framework.

At the base of the vtall tower 3 is a stand 7 having notches 8 to receive the ends of the rails 9 of the two rail track 5 the ends of said rails being. also notched as at 11 so as to hold the lower ends of the track rails in their proper positions in the stand, while the upper ends of these track rails are also notched as at 12 and set in notches 13 in the cross bar 14 carried by the shorttower at a point intermediate its height and with said rails are connected spacing members 15 one of which is slightly longer than the width of the track so as to provide wings 16 in which are detachably mounted the downturned ends 1'? of the torque rods 18 the opposite downturned ends 19 of said rods being detachably mounted in suitable sockets 2O carried by the legs or uprights ot the short tower.

The upper ends oit the rails 9 of the track 5 are turned up as indicated at 21 and to these upturned ends is secured a hanger 22 which acts as a tipping means for the elevator to be later described and also as a bearing for the shaft or aXle of the grooved pulley 23 over which runs a flexible cable 247 such as a piece of string, said cable running over another groovedy Ipulley 25 supported by the bracket 26 projecting from the upper end of the short toweif. 0n one end of this cable is fastened; a, suspended or captive weight 27l while the other end ot the cable is secured to; a car 28; running upon the track 5 and normally held at the upper end thereof by the weight 27. This car 28 includes a body 29 suitably mounted upon the flanged wheels 307 for running upon the rails ot the track and provided withy an eye 31 by which the cable is cured to the car. The body of this car is open at the top and at one end.7 said open end being the lower end ot the cai: when considered as mounted upon the inclinedtrack5, and saidl open end is normally closed by a door 32hingedi as at 33 to bracketsor their equivalenten the sides oi' the ycar body and' this door is normally l closed by gravity which is maintainedin. its closed. position by a spring actuated catch 34 mounted on the outside of the car body with the nose engaging one side edge of the door. This spring actuated catch is provided with a trigger 35 which whenv the carl has reached its lowermost position onthe track will Contact with a catch throwing arm 36 located in the path of travel oli the catch trigger and supported by the stand 7; at the base of the tallv tower.

fit the upper end of the short tower is located an elevator 37 arranged tor vertical movement between the upper portion of saidtower and the upper end ot the track 5. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, thisV elevator'coniprises aV body 38 open at the'top and at oneA end the latter being normally closed bya.Y

door 39 hinged as at 40 to the upper portions otthe sides of the body and this door is normally maintained in its closed position by gravity. This elevator has a bale Y41 for suspending said elevator from a iexible cable 42 running over grooved pulleys 43 and 44 suitably mounted on the upper portion ot the short tower and to the opposite end of said cable is fixed a suspension or captive weight 45 for normally maintaining the elevator in a raised position, as shown in Fig. 2. This elevator also carries oppositely dis.- posed guide brackets 46, which it found desirable may be formed from the same material or wire producing the bale 41, the said guide brackets coacting with the parallel portions of the legs of the short tower and loosely fitting said legs so'that the elevator may be tilted when its closedy end contacts with the hanger 22 during the downward travel, or" the elevator.

The monorail track 6 carries posts 47 and 48 either formed therewith or secured there to which fit in sockets 49 and 50 at the upper ends of the tall and short towers respectively, and the lower end of said monorail track has a hook 51 formed from its lower end which acts as a stop tor the sus pension` car 52. Y

This suspension carI comprises aY body, 53I open. at its` top andjoneend of said openv end being normally closed by a. door 5,4 pivotedf as at 55. to, the upper portions of the, side` 'walls ot the body. `Said; dOQl closed by gravity. is normally maintainect` in a closed, position by the spring catch 56`r similar to that shown in Figs. 4 andy 5, said catch-hav ing a trigger 57 to be actuated by trigger throwing member 56 secured; tgQ, the upper end of the short tower in the path of travel, of the catch trigger on the suspension; cai'. At one side of the car body 53isl connected one end ot the hanger 59,. the opposite end. being connected with the truck or carriage 60V suitably mountedon a.y pain ofA giiooved wheels 61 adapted to run upon the HlQIo rail track 6v. 7 l

To the truckcarriage 6 0 is fastened, Orieend;V ot a flexible cable 62 running overl grooved pulley 63 at the topot the tall. tower and having a 'suspended or captive weight 64 attached to the oppositev endg; said` wA-fightl normally holding the suspension carat the top ory upper end oit thel monorail'g track.y The. weight 64 preei-a-bly has a set; ot coacting fingers 65 for engagement with the guides 66 secured to the tall tower which will maintain the weight 64 its proper path of travel.

Adjacent the upper end; ot thetall tower-is. located an extension plate67 having pockets 68 to receive the ends of the biackets` 6 9 which support the inclined hopperZOfin such position that its lower oplenfend overlies,L a body ot the suspension car- 52 when the latter is `at the topI oli the monorailf track,v asZ plainly shown in Fig. 14, and this lower' open end of the hop-peris preferably curved as at 71 so that said open end will overlie the suspension caras above-y stated, although the main portion of the hopper is set toe one side ot the monoigailtrack.V

Adjacent the lower open end ot the hopper are located brackets Z 2 between whichv is pivoted the walking beam 73;'cargrying the depending pivoted iingers74 and 75. sliding through gui-des Z6 supported by 'thehopper and spaced apart a distance approiriinately.V equal the diameter 'of one of the balls?? shown in Fig. 14, The walking beam Z3 is.

actuated by the weighted arm 7 8 when the truck or carriage of the suspension car rides thereunder.

At the bottom of the tall tower in line with the two rail track 5 is a pan or ball catching device 80 which is adapted to rest upon the same surface on which the framework of the toy rests and this pan preferably has lips 79 to engage the base of said tall tower for properly positioning it.

F rom the foregoing it will be seen that the torque rods may be detached, the different cars removed from the framework, then the tracks and the hopper detached from the towers, thus providing for disassembling the toy so that it may be packed or stored in a small and compact space making it easy to handle for shipping purposes.

The operation of the toy is as follows A number of balls 77 are placed in the hopper 70 and the suspension car 52 moved downward along the normaltrack to or toward its lower end and as soon as this car is released the captive or suspended weight 64 will cause said suspension car to travel upward along the monorail track. As soon as the truck or carriage of the suspension car rides under the weighted arm 7 8 so as to lift its outer end the walking beam 7 3 will be oscillated to disengage the finger 75 from the foremost ball 77 so as to permit said ball to roll down and out of the hopper. At the same time the linger 74E will have engaged the succeeding ball to retain all the other balls in the hopper. As the foremost ball drops into the body of the suspension car its weight added to that of the suspension car will overbalance the weight (Se and 4cause the suspension car tortravel down the inclined monorail track.

As soon as the suspension car has traveled a suiiicient distance to release the weighted arm 78 the walking beam will be returned to the position shown in Fig. 14 so that all of the balls in the hopper will move downward until the then foremost one engages the linger 75.

l.Vhen the suspension car has traveled to the lower end of the monorail track, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, the trigger 57 of the spring catch 56 will contact with the trigger throwing member 58 to release the door 54k which will permit the ball in (he suspension car to roll therefrom into the elevator 37 permitting the weight 6e to return the suspension car to its normal position at the upper end of the mouorail track.

As the ball weight 77 drops into the elevator this additional weight will cause the elevator to travel downward against tue action of its captive weight 45. As soon as the elevator reaches its lowermost position it will contact with the hanger 22, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, causing said elevator to tilt because of the loose dt of the guide brackets 46 on the legs of the short tower and as the elevator is tilted the ball weight will roll toward the door 39 and force the same open allowing' said ball weight to roll into the car 28 and as soon as this ball weight has left 'the elevator the` weight 45 will return said elevator to its normal raised position.

The additional weight added. to the car 28 by the ball 7 7 dropping tnerein will cause the car 28 to run down the track 5 and when reaching its lowermost position the trigger 35 will engage' the trigger throwing member 36 so as 'to unlat-ch the door 32 and permit the ball .feight to roll into the pan receptacle S0 from which point they may be returned to the hopper.

Should the opening of the door 32 on the car 2S lift said door to such a height that it should remain open as the car 28 has returned to its normal position at the top of the track by the weight 27 said door will Contact with the projection 88 to move it to a position where it will drop by gravity.

ln order to prevent the car 28 from becoming derailed as it reaches either end of the track 5, we provide rods 8l and S2 at the top and bottom of the track respectively which are substantially parallel with said track and of such height that the car axles will run beneath them.

(lf course we do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as herein shown as these may be varied within the lintits of the appended claims without depart ing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and useful is l. rfi mechanical toy comprising a tall tower, a short tower, an inclined monorail track connected with the upper ends of said towers, a two rail track connected with the lower portion of the tall tower and with the short tower at a point intermediate its height, cars mounted to run on said tracks, means normally maintain the cars at the highest points of their respective tracks, an elevator mounted on the short tower to operate between the low point of the monorail track and the high point of the two rail track, means to normally maintain the elvator in a raised position, and means to surcessively release ball weightsA so as to enter the car on the monorail track and cause said car to convey the ball weight to the elevator. said elevator conveying the ball weight on the car of the two rail track whichllatter conveys said ball weight to the base of the tall tower.

2. A toy of the class described consisting of a tall tower, a stand at the base thereof. a short tower, a two rail track detachablv/ connected witn the tall tower at its base and with the short tower below its upper end, a monorail track detachably connected with lli) lili

the upper ends of said towers, a suspensiony car mounted to run on. the monorail track and adapted to be moved in one direction by a weight connected therewith, means detaehaloly connected with the upper en d of the tall tower for successively releasing ball Weights one of which upon entering the suspension car will cause the same to move along1 the track in. the opposite direction, an elevator mounted on the short tower and normally maintained. in its elevated position by means of a, weight coijineoted therewith, means 'for releasing; the ball` weight from the suspension car so. as to enter the elevator and cause vit to move downward, aV cary weight connected therewith, means tomelease the ball` weight from the, elevator to permit it to enter the last named car, said` loall:

weight causing said last named: carA togtravel along its track 1n one direction, means torelease the hall weight from said caiz, and a receptacle to receive said hallz weight.

lin testimony whereof, we have hereunto affixed' our signatures, A

iii; Hom-on swung. FUERON! H. siviglia, 

